Bart Minnock, founder of the computer gaming giant U-Play, enters his private playroom, and eagerly can’t wait to lose himself in an imaginary world, to play the role of a sword-wielding warrior king, in his company’s latest top-secret project, Fantastical.

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Bart Minnock, founder of the computer gaming giant U-Play, enters his private playroom, and eagerly can’t wait to lose himself in an imaginary world, to play the role of a sword-wielding warrior king, in his company’s latest top-secret project, Fantastical.

The next morning, he is found in the same locked room, in a pool of blood, his head separated from his body. It is the most puzzling case Eve Dallas has ever faced, and it is not a game.

Lt. Eve Dallas is having as much trouble figuring out how Bart Minnock was murdered as who did the murdering. The victim’s girlfriend seems sincerely grief-stricken, and his quirky-but-brilliant partners at U-Play appear shocked as well. No one seemed to have a problem with the enthusiastic, high-spirited millionaire of course, success can attract jealousy, and gaming, like any business, has its fierce rivalries and dirty tricks—as Eve’s husband, Roarke, one of U-Play’s competitors, knows well. But Minnock was not naïve, and he knew how to fight back in the real world as well as the virtual one.

Eve and her team are about to enter the next level of police work, in a world where fantasy is the ultimate seduction—and the price of defeat is death.

JD Robb knocks it out of the park once again! This book provides a great mystery with an interesting twist while allowing us the pleasure of seeing this fantastic cast of characters interact and evolve in their relationships. It amazes me that this author has managed to write 30+ installments in this series without compromising the quality and integrity of its characters or storyline (take note, Janet Evanovich!) If you are already a fan, you wont' be disappointed. If you are new to the series, I recommend starting at the beginning with "Naked in Death" and enjoying the ride!

By the way, Susan Ericksen IS the voice of Eve Dallas. She, too, has done a great job with narration and character distinction throughout this entire series.

After a more subdued showing in Kindred, Eve, Roarke and the whole gang are back in top form in a book that includes some laugh-out-loud exchanges, romantic interludes and an intriguing mystery. Although I had a strong hunch about the killer early on, I still enjoyed seeing the investigative process evolve and I loved the technological/gaming scenarios that Robb envisions.

As always, Susan Ericksen does a superb job. Her skilled readings add an extra dimension to this enjoyable series.

I love J.D. Robb's In Death series!! Eve Dallas kicks butt and Roarke is the ultimate fantasy man. Mostly I love how the characters have evolved through the series. I think Susan Erickson is a great narrator, she makes the characters real. I can see Eve, Roarke, Peabody, McNabb,Dr. Mera and Mavis in my mind. Keep up the good work!! Can't wait for the next one!

I really loved the pure mystery of this one. The clues were there but obscure enough that you had to really pick up on the subtleties to guess who the killer is. I absolutely love this series and Susan Ericksen does a fabulous job of capturing the listener with her narration! Can't wait for the next installment.

I enjoy the "in Death" series. If read by anyone other than Susan Ericksen, I would no longer be a fan. She IS Eve Dallas in my mind. The challenges faced by Eve and Peabody are always fascinating. Rouke, Trina and others of the supporting cast add reality and richness. This story is scary if you are into virtual reality, computer games, etc. It is not difficult to imagine a young team of computer experts living the way described in this story who experience the distrust, love, and jealousy illustrated. This story has less violence and gore than other stories about Eve Dallas and is among the less intriguing stories of this series, however it is the suspense and cursory technology that makes one want to listen to the end. This story is a good, quick, entertaining escape into fantasy.

When I first listened to the book, I must have been in a bad mood or something. It was just "okay" then I listened to it again and found it quite good. I was highly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed the book - actually, I have already listened to it several times. I never get tired of this series. I am just highly upset that the next book will not be out until November. Nora, that is way too long for us to wait. As usual, Susan does a great job on the narration. I don't think there is anyone that can do it justice as she does. I find it fascinating how the author can keep this going on with such good writing and well developed characters. Usually after a book or two you either get sick of the book or simply find the books starting to show their wear and tear; not here. Each book leaves me wanting more.

good audio length, story, etc. well worth my credit. While the narrator does an excellent Rourke voice, she misses on Peabody. Peabody sounds like she's talking through her nose and it does not do the well written character justice.

Where does Fantasy in Death rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

My least favorite In Death novel.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Narrowing down the one (out of three) possible killer.

Which character – as performed by Susan Ericksen – was your favorite?

I like Dallas, Peabody, and Rourke evenly.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

This was different than the other In Death novels because the reader knows more than the characters. I found myself wanting them to catch up. Also, there isn't much going on in the personal lives of the main characters - which is an aspect I enjoy. I was happy that the murders weren't so torcherous as usual. Lastly, we don't need so many detailed sex scenes. Enough already.

I have the enitre series and Fantasy is by far the best one out of the series. It keeps you guessing whats going to happen and just storyline is really good. Cannot wait for the next book. I wish they made the series in a film or tv show better than Bones or CSI.

This was my first J. D. Robb and I expected something with a little more grit. The story line was okay but not as good as all the loyal reviewers made it out to be. I realy liked the characters, they had depth and I think for me it was because of the wonderful, wonderful narration. I believe Erickson was one of the better ones I've heard, the dialects were great. Bravo! I probably will listen to another J. D. book because I found the writing interesting just not this particular story.

J D Robb does it again and again, she consistently delivers edge of the seat thrillers with great abundance, this particular thriller holds you guessing who did it and how right up until the end, she develops great backgrounds for all her characters that you can relate to and believe. All in All a superb listen and highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Misty

UK

2/13/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Gamers"

This story is all about gamers. A man has his head cut off at the time he was locked in his hollow room in his apartment. He was one of four owners of a company that Roark helped in their early days. The story wasn't far reaching as everything revolves around the company and the other partners. There was only really 3 to choose from and it still took me to chapter 19 to guess who did it.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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